SIAF and Asiamold, held jointly in Guangzhou, welcomed 655 exhibitors on 40,000 square meters of exhibition space and attracted 50,369 visitors (nearly 99,000 in 2019). The fair was held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou and covered the fields of intelligent industrial automation solutions, mold making, 3D printing, metalworking, foundry, die casting, laser and bearing technologies.

SIAF and Asiamold were originally scheduled to take place at the end of February, but were postponed due to the coronavirus. "As major events gradually resume in China, we are pleased to be able to return to facilitating business interactions for the manufacturing industry, especially in the South China region. The fairs are Messe Frankfurt 's first events in Guangzhou since January, when fairs had to be postponed due to the global pandemic," says Hubert Duh, Chairman of Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt after the conclusion of the fairs and concludes: "After the successful conclusion of SIAF Guangzhou and Asiamold 2020, we are already looking forward to the 2021 editions from March 3 to 5."

Is the SIAF a blueprint for the SPS?

Sylke Schulz-Metzner, Vice President SPS at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, explains in an interview what the success of SIAF means for SPS in Nuremberg in November.

Sylke Schulz-Metzner: "I am also optimistic that we will see a high level of visitor interest at SPS 2020."

© WBM

Ms. Schulz-Metzner, how would you assess the course of the SIAF, particularly from a Covid-19 perspective?

Schulz-Metzner: The SIAF is being organized by our Chinese colleagues in Guangzhou. The trade fair was actually supposed to take place in March but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are therefore very happy and proud that the event has now taken place and has been so well received with more than 50,000 visitors and 655 exhibitors.

What corona measures were taken at the SIAF? Are they comparable with German precautionary measures?

The protection and hygiene concept adopted for the SIAF is very similar to that for SPS 2020 in Nuremberg. The most important measures were certainly wearing mouth and nose protection and keeping a minimum distance from other people. It was not possible to purchase visitor tickets on site; all participants had to register online in advance and specify the day of their visit to the trade fair. In addition, disinfection facilities were distributed throughout the exhibition grounds and at the exhibitors' stands. These measures made a very successful SIAF 2020 possible. And these protective and hygiene measures will also help to ensure a safe and successful SPS 2020 for everyone involved in November.

What conclusions can you draw from the SIAF for the planned SPS in Nuremberg?

The great interest shown by visitors to the SIAF shows how important trade fairs are for industry and business. A personal, intensive technical discussion at the trade fair stand and also the discussion about the best individual solution for a company cannot be completely replaced by digital platforms. I am therefore optimistic that we will also see a high level of interest in information from visitors at our SPS 2020. After all, there have been no automation trade fairs in Germany or Europe for almost a year.